The University of Florida Health Science Center - the most comprehensive academic health center in the Southeast - is dedicated to high-quality programs of education, research, patient care and public service.

The UF College of Dentistry is the only public-funded dental school in Florida and is recognized as one of the top U.S. dental schools for the quality of its educational programs, oral health research enterprise and commitment to patient care and service.

The College of Medicine, the largest of six colleges at the University of Florida Health Science Center, opened in 1956 with a mission to increase Florida's supply of highly qualified physicians, provide advanced health-care services to Florida residents and foster discovery in health research.

Founded in 1956, the University of Florida College of Nursing is the premier educational institution for nursing in the state of Florida and is ranked in the top 10 percent of all nursing graduate programs nationwide. The UF College of Nursing continually attracts and retains the highest caliber of nursing students and faculty with a passion for science and caring.

Established in 1923, the College of Pharmacy is the oldest college in the UF Health Science Center. Ranked among the top schools of pharmacy nationally, the college supports research, service and educational programs enhanced with online technologies.

The UF College of Veterinary Medicine is Florida's only veterinary college and provides many unique educational programs for students and services aimed at helping pets, wildlife and endangered species. We offer a a four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Veterinary Medical Sciences.

Co-located with the Shands Jacksonville Hospital, the Jacksonville Health Science Center excels in education, research and patient care that expresses our abiding values of compassion, excellence, professionalism and innovation. Our state-of-the-art medical center serves an urban population of 1 million from north Florida to south Georgia.

The UFCOM-J offers accredited graduate medical education residency and fellowship programs, in addition to non-standard fellowship programs. Clinical rotations in all the major disciplines are provided for UFCOM undergraduate medical students and elective rotations to students from other accredited schools.

The UFHSC-J is a clinical teaching site for the Gainesville-based College of Nursing. Students rotate through the various clinical settings on the campus, and primary care centers and specialty care centers located throughout Jacksonville.

The UF College of Pharmacy-Jacksonville offers a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Program completed entirely in Jacksonville. Also offered on campus is an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-accredited pharmacy residency program at Shands Jacksonville.

University of Florida Health knows how important ongoing medical learning is to health care providers and the community. That is why we provide online Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses for you to complete for CME credits. These courses share the latest in medical knowledge, teach new patient-relationship skills and help providers deal with relevant current issues.

Father-son duo lose locks for kids

Parker’s sister, Kira Stevens, holds a mirror so that Parker can see his new look. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Parker Stevens doesn’t think twice about doing things for others, so shaving his head to raise funds for children with cancer was a sacrifice he was well equipped to handle. Last year, Parker’s father, Jeff Stevens, a web content optimizer at UF&Shands, the University of Florida Academic Health Center, participated at an event sponsored by UF’s division of pediatric hematology and oncology. He and other volunteers shaved their heads to encourage friends and family to help raise funds for children in the hospital. After learning that such an event was not scheduled this year, Parker, 10, decided to take matters into his own hands. Since October, Parker has been telling his friends, family and neighbors that he would shave his head if they donate to the cause. He raised more than $2,100. William Slayton, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of pediatric hematology and oncology at the UF College of Medicine, joined the effort Dec. 7 to receive a buzz cut along with Parker and his father. “Parker’s awesome gesture of compassion and generosity is extremely impressive to me,” Slayton said. “We do this to try to relate to patients who go through chemotherapy.” Parker was hospitalized a few times when he was younger because of asthma-like symptoms — that’s when he learned there are some children who are very sick and have to stay in the hospital.

“I’m getting my hair shaved today so I can help sick kids feel better,” said Parker, his long, dark hair glistening. “I remember how I felt when I got sick. I don’t want any other kids to feel sick.” About of a dozen of Parker’s friends filed into the Communicore lobby on Wednesday as Parker, his father and Slayton played a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors to determine who would be the first to lose his locks. Once that was settled, Parker’s mother Kristin Stevens grabbed the buzzing electric shear. In short order, all three lost their locks in front of the crowd of friends, family, students and staff. “When I first heard that Parker wanted to do this, I was surprised because he always loved his rocker drummer hair,” Jeff Stevens said. “I’m humbled and proud of him for wanting to do this.”

About the Author

Jessica Jinah Song

Writer, College of Medicine-Development and Alumni Communications

Writer, Advancement Communications for the College of Medicine. She writes for the award-winning Florida Physician magazine, Insider news website and the Dr. Gator newsletter. Before joining the College of Medicine,... Read More